Feb. 16--ASHLAND -- Purchasing "gently used" clothing instead of new garments has long been a preferred money-saving method for thrift-minded individuals.

With the nation mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, it seems more folks are catching on to that tactic.

Thrift shops, consignment stores and other used-clothing sellers have seen their business surge in recent months, even as other retailers have watched their sales plummet.

At area Goodwill stores, the uptick began in the fall, roughly coinciding with the onset of the economic downturn, said Carter Seaton, marketing director for Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Inc., which operates eight such shops in Kentucky and West Virginia, including the one on Winchester Avenue in Ashland.

"When they started laying off people here, we saw increases in sales at all of our eight stores," Seaton said. "What we've also noticed is a change in shopper population. You get to know the people who come in regularly, and we're seeing a lot of folks now who have never been in our stores before."

The Ashland store experienced a 12.6 percent increase in sales for the fourth quarter of 2008, compared with the same period a year earlier, Seaton said.

Seaton said she believed the ailing economy had helped change the perception Goodwill stores are strictly for "poor people" or they carry only clothes people donated because they weren't fit to wear. Both of those notions were inaccurate to begin with, she said.

The fact, she said, is people donate clothing to Goodwill for all sorts of reasons, the garment no longer fits being one of the main ones. If one looks enough, nearly new designer-label clothing can be found on Goodwill's racks for rock-bottom prices, Seaton said.

She said buying second-hand clothing for youngsters was a particularly sensible way to stretch a household budget.

"Kids outgrow things so quickly," Seaton said. "It just makes sense to not spend $40 for a pair of jeans when you go to Goodwill and buy those same jeans for $3."

Because Goodwill always sees its donations decline during the winter, it's difficult to gauge the effect the economic crisis has had on contributions, Seaton said. However, she said it stood to reason it would cause a drop in donations "because people are going to be hanging on to their things longer."

If the agency sees a precipitous drop in donations, "we might try to offset it with a little more advertising and promotion," Seaton said.

Additionally, a donation drive in conjunction with Elder-Beerman that's coming up next month should help replenish the stores' stock, she said.

Goodwill uses the funds from the sale of used clothing at its thrift shops to fund its employment, training and counseling services, which it has offered since 1973. Additionally, Goodwill operates Consumer Credit Counseling Services, a not-for-profit financial counseling agency.

Matt Perkins, whose family owns and operates the Second Hand Rose clothing and furniture consignment shops in Ashland, said both businesses had experienced "double digit" sales growth the past several months.

"We were kind of worried at first because the news was pretty dire for retail," he said. "But it seems like the worse the stock market's doing the better our business is."

Perkins said the down economy and people looking for extra income had also served to increase Second Hand Rose's take-ins, "and the stuff we've been getting is better quality."

The recent closing of discount clothing retailer Value City and the impending closure of Goody's, another such store, has helped create more of a market locally for second-hand clothing sellers, he said.

Second Hand Rose is planning to increase services at its furniture store, on Old 13th Street, by adding Saturday-night auctions, Perkins said.

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.

-----

To see more of The Daily Independent or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dailyindependent.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.